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Earthly Things
Sensitive fourteen-year-old Dexter Bestwick is at the park with his girlfriend Jamie when his father murders him for stealing something from his locked room. Still around after his death to witness the ensuing damages, he aches to protect his first, young love from being a victim. Yet he's afraid the eternal light will grow brighter and claim him, and that Jamie will soon suffer the same fate... Earthly Things is a beautiful and touching story full of high stakes and will appeal to fans of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.
- GenresMystery
290 pages, Paperback
First published July 25, 2014
805 people want to read
About the author
Lee Thompson
26 books186 followers“Lee Thompson knows his horror-noir. He fuses both genres together in the turmoil of terror, tragedy, blood, guilt, and lost chances at redemption.”–Tom Piccirilli, author of THE LAST KIND WORDS
Lee Thompson is the bestselling author of the Suspense novels A BEAUTIFUL MADNESS (August 2014), IT’S ONLY DEATH (January 2015), and WITH FURY IN HAND (May 2015). The dominating threads weaved throughout his work are love, loss, and learning how to live again. A firm believer in the enduring power of the human spirit, Lee believes that stories, no matter their format, set us on the path of transformation. He is represented by the extraordinary Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary. Visit Lee’s website to discover more: www.leethompsonfiction.com
Some of my favorite authors: Clive Barker, Donald Westlake, Peter Straub, Stephen King, Greg Gifune, Lee Thomas, William Faulkner, Robert Dunbar, John Gardner, Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, John Connolly, Jack Cady, Tom Piccirilli, Brian Hodge, Douglas Clegg, Jack Ketchum, Lee Child, James Lee Burke, and Cormac McCarthy.
"10 out of 10 Stars... GOSSAMER: A TALE OF LOVE AND TRAGEDY will blow you away my friends. It is that good." -- Peter Schwotzer/Famous Monsters of Filmland.
"WHEN WE JOIN JESUS IN HELL is as crazy as its tormented protagonist. Hard as nails.” – Jack Ketchum
"The voice of the deputy feels authentic: brooding, soulful, haunted. In fact, there’s a heartfelt quality to the whole grim book. Even some of the most grisly moments manage to be poetic and full of emotion, and the author’s literary influences echo loudly. At times, the mood evokes Piccirilli or Braunbeck or Gifune combined with Sherwood Anderson."-- Robert Dunbar, author of WILLY, THE PINES, and THE SHORE
“Thompson’s voice is his own — strong, hypnotic, and unsettling. Nursery Rhymes 4 Dead Children is a bleak fucking book, and therein lies its danger. So beautifully-constructed is Thompson’s prose, that the reader is often caught off-guard, mesmerized by a turn of phrase or a descriptive passage, until the book grabs you by the balls and rips them right off, breaking your heart and your psyche in the process.” — Brian Keene, author of GHOUL, DARK HOLLOW and THE RISING.
"I’ve said it many times and believe it more everyday, Lee Thompson is not only the next big name at Delirium Books but in the genre." – Shane Ryan Staley at Darkfuse Publications.
"The Dampness of Mourning is a riveting Thriller..." Midwest Book Review.
"Lee Thompson’s prose is electric!" — Bob Freeman, author of DESCENDANT.
"Like a dark Twilight Zone meets Alfred Hitchcock Mystery." -- Lee Thompson, author of NURSERY RHYMES 4 DEAD CHILDREN.
http://leethompsonfiction.com
Lee Thompson is the bestselling author of the Suspense novels A BEAUTIFUL MADNESS (August 2014), IT’S ONLY DEATH (January 2015), and WITH FURY IN HAND (May 2015). The dominating threads weaved throughout his work are love, loss, and learning how to live again. A firm believer in the enduring power of the human spirit, Lee believes that stories, no matter their format, set us on the path of transformation. He is represented by the extraordinary Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary. Visit Lee’s website to discover more: www.leethompsonfiction.com
Some of my favorite authors: Clive Barker, Donald Westlake, Peter Straub, Stephen King, Greg Gifune, Lee Thomas, William Faulkner, Robert Dunbar, John Gardner, Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, John Connolly, Jack Cady, Tom Piccirilli, Brian Hodge, Douglas Clegg, Jack Ketchum, Lee Child, James Lee Burke, and Cormac McCarthy.
"10 out of 10 Stars... GOSSAMER: A TALE OF LOVE AND TRAGEDY will blow you away my friends. It is that good." -- Peter Schwotzer/Famous Monsters of Filmland.
"WHEN WE JOIN JESUS IN HELL is as crazy as its tormented protagonist. Hard as nails.” – Jack Ketchum
"The voice of the deputy feels authentic: brooding, soulful, haunted. In fact, there’s a heartfelt quality to the whole grim book. Even some of the most grisly moments manage to be poetic and full of emotion, and the author’s literary influences echo loudly. At times, the mood evokes Piccirilli or Braunbeck or Gifune combined with Sherwood Anderson."-- Robert Dunbar, author of WILLY, THE PINES, and THE SHORE
“Thompson’s voice is his own — strong, hypnotic, and unsettling. Nursery Rhymes 4 Dead Children is a bleak fucking book, and therein lies its danger. So beautifully-constructed is Thompson’s prose, that the reader is often caught off-guard, mesmerized by a turn of phrase or a descriptive passage, until the book grabs you by the balls and rips them right off, breaking your heart and your psyche in the process.” — Brian Keene, author of GHOUL, DARK HOLLOW and THE RISING.
"I’ve said it many times and believe it more everyday, Lee Thompson is not only the next big name at Delirium Books but in the genre." – Shane Ryan Staley at Darkfuse Publications.
"The Dampness of Mourning is a riveting Thriller..." Midwest Book Review.
"Lee Thompson’s prose is electric!" — Bob Freeman, author of DESCENDANT.
"Like a dark Twilight Zone meets Alfred Hitchcock Mystery." -- Lee Thompson, author of NURSERY RHYMES 4 DEAD CHILDREN.
http://leethompsonfiction.com
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 14, 2014
Earthly Things is a powerful, emotionally gripping tale of a young love cruelly cast to the wind. A story of a broken family, devastated by loss, ruined by a cold blooded murder and the slow, painful journey of reckoning.
Set in Kingston, Michigan, the story is told through the eyes of 14 year old Dexter Bestwick, we live his life, explore the connection with his brother and town hero Adam, and the devastation the family go through as tragedy strikes. The first person narrative puts you in the story, when I say we live his life, I mean just that, the characterization is bare, uncovered and agonizing at times.
Devastation comes in the form of a car accident that claims the life of his brother, Dexter starts to spend more time with close neighbour, Jamie a girl 2 years older than himself, as their relationship gradually becomes more familiar, demonstrated perfectly with a quote ‘She stole my heart long before I ever knew I’d want to give it away’.
One month is all the time they get together before Dexter is brutally murdered but that doesn’t end the first person narrative, through his passing he remains to endure the loss of those who knew him as suspicion finds an undue quarter.
Julian Vaughn, no big secret is the pen name of Lee Thompson and Earthly Things is his second foray into crime fiction and I really enjoyed it, more so than A Beautiful Madness which was top notch. Loved the twist in this, wasn’t anywhere near it, but the standout feature for me was the portrayal of Dexter both before and after his death.
This could well be the start of something big in the world of crime fiction, you never know, there’s a raw emotional darkness to Lee’s work that’s compelling and this deserves to be a big hit.
Highest Recommendation.
http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
Set in Kingston, Michigan, the story is told through the eyes of 14 year old Dexter Bestwick, we live his life, explore the connection with his brother and town hero Adam, and the devastation the family go through as tragedy strikes. The first person narrative puts you in the story, when I say we live his life, I mean just that, the characterization is bare, uncovered and agonizing at times.
Devastation comes in the form of a car accident that claims the life of his brother, Dexter starts to spend more time with close neighbour, Jamie a girl 2 years older than himself, as their relationship gradually becomes more familiar, demonstrated perfectly with a quote ‘She stole my heart long before I ever knew I’d want to give it away’.
One month is all the time they get together before Dexter is brutally murdered but that doesn’t end the first person narrative, through his passing he remains to endure the loss of those who knew him as suspicion finds an undue quarter.
Julian Vaughn, no big secret is the pen name of Lee Thompson and Earthly Things is his second foray into crime fiction and I really enjoyed it, more so than A Beautiful Madness which was top notch. Loved the twist in this, wasn’t anywhere near it, but the standout feature for me was the portrayal of Dexter both before and after his death.
This could well be the start of something big in the world of crime fiction, you never know, there’s a raw emotional darkness to Lee’s work that’s compelling and this deserves to be a big hit.
Highest Recommendation.
http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
September 12, 2014
Julian Vaughn is a pseudonym of author Lee Thompson. I'm a huge Lee Thompson fan, and although he is becoming a master of many genres, his young adult/coming of age stories are where I find him at his best. Books like Before Leonora Wakes, Within This Garden Weeping, and now Earthly Things are among my favorites.
Earthly Things begins with the (almost) coming of age story of Dexter. We find out early on that Dexter is going to die young. The first half of Earthly Things gives us a glimpse into the often heartbreaking and at times endearing life of Dexter.
Dexter does meet an untimely death (this is not really a spoiler, guys), but the first person narrative continues on in the same vein as The Lovely Bones. I loved this point of view. This is not the first time Thompson has tackled a complicated point of view. It is apparently one of his many talents.
Earthly Things is a brutal book at times. It's heartwrenching, but it's also a great mystery and just a really great read. Even though I couldn't relate to the characters because their reality was so far from my own, I still felt connected to them and emotionally invested in them which I attribute to some really great writing.
Highly recommended.
Earthly Things begins with the (almost) coming of age story of Dexter. We find out early on that Dexter is going to die young. The first half of Earthly Things gives us a glimpse into the often heartbreaking and at times endearing life of Dexter.
Dexter does meet an untimely death (this is not really a spoiler, guys), but the first person narrative continues on in the same vein as The Lovely Bones. I loved this point of view. This is not the first time Thompson has tackled a complicated point of view. It is apparently one of his many talents.
Earthly Things is a brutal book at times. It's heartwrenching, but it's also a great mystery and just a really great read. Even though I couldn't relate to the characters because their reality was so far from my own, I still felt connected to them and emotionally invested in them which I attribute to some really great writing.
Highly recommended.
August 5, 2014
Dexter was 14 years old when his brother Adam died in a horrible accident. He was 14 years old the first time he fell in love. He was also 14 years old when he was brutally murdered. Now his spirit is sticking around to watch over the ones he left behind and who are trying to bring his killer to justice.
Another very good work from Lee Thompson writing as Julian Vaughn. Lee continues to draw out depth and realistic characters within his work no matter what pen name he uses. Definitely, Lovely Bones-esque in its own way. It was amazing that Dexter was able to stay so grounded and even headed, even in death. A heartening tale of family dysfunction, friendship, betrayal, murder and love.
Another very good work from Lee Thompson writing as Julian Vaughn. Lee continues to draw out depth and realistic characters within his work no matter what pen name he uses. Definitely, Lovely Bones-esque in its own way. It was amazing that Dexter was able to stay so grounded and even headed, even in death. A heartening tale of family dysfunction, friendship, betrayal, murder and love.
February 16, 2015
Great book, throws you for a loop!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews